Satyajit Ray Honoured with Google Doodle

Google has honoured the legendary film-maker Satyajit Ray with a doodle on the occasion of his 92nd birthday!

Google today celebrates the 92nd birthday of the veteran film-maker Satyajit Ray with a scene from his very first and most acclaimed movie: Pather Panchali.

Satyajit Ray was an artist right since a young age and he began his career as a commercial artist. His interest in films grew after a visit to London where he was inspired by the movie ‘The Bicycle Thieves’ and the French filmmaker Jean Renoir.

Satyajit Ray began his career in Indian cinema with the path breaking movie Pather Panchali. The Bengali movie won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie was the beginning of the Apu Trilogy (formed of Pather Panchali and the sequels Aparajito and Apur Sansar all featuring the lead protagonist Apu) and was released in 1955.

Ray could not gather the funds required for the movie and as a result the movie was shot over a period of 3 years, in breaks, as and when Ray could raise money. He even pawned his wife’s ancestral jewellery and emptied his personal savings for the movie. Ray rejected many offers of money from investors who demanded a change in the script. However, the government intervened and he received a grant which aided in the completion of the movie.

__GOOGLEADCODE__Apart from Pather Panchali, Ray’s movie works incorporate a wide range from inspirations from Tagore to films depicting British India and Ray has even dabbled in science fiction. He directed, scripted and made movies like Devi, Mahapurush, Kanchenjungha, Charulata, etc. Ray has received 32 National film awards for his contribution to Indian cinema. The Indian government honoured him with a Bharat Ratna in 1992. It was also the year Ray received an Academy award.

Satyajit Ray contributed to not just the Indian cinema but even dabbled in literary works. Feluda, his detective character is one of the most acclaimed fictional characters for teens. Apart from writing multiple books and novels, Satyajit Ray has also contributed to the field of calligraphy and designed four type-faces for Roman script.

The Google Doodle lifts one of the most loved scenes from Pather Panchali, that of young Apu and Durga running through the fields to catch a glimpse of their much beloved train. The run was perhaps the last free and joyous run of their life before ailment and calamity befell the family.

We raise our hats to the legendary film-maker who laid a strong foundation in Indian cinema.